Right Decision
by jaimi-or-jaemi
Summary: It was the right decision, it had to be. His daughter would never be a mistake, but would the possibility of introducing her father be one?
1. The Offer

**Tags/Warnings** : Omega Verse, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha John, Omega Jim, Fluff, Family, Canon Divergence - The Great Game, SFPAC, SFPAC November 2015 AU Time, alternate first meeting, Friendship, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Bonding, Anal Sex, Anal Fingering, Slow Burn, Dating, Figuring Out Their Dynamic

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

Thank you for any form of communication, I love it and it keeps me writing!

Lots of thanks to NoOrdinarySouthernGirl for all of her help

This is a continuation of Oops - That's Unexpected . . . Ah Hell: Chapter 7: Johniarty over on AO3

I seem to be on a Johniarty kick the last few days, because the first thing that came to mind was a continuation of an omega verse drabble when I had the November SFPAC AU Time prompt come up

* * *

 _Jim's POV_  
He was shocked by what he was seeing before him. The alpha working with his opponent in their little game of intelligence was none other than the alpha that had gotten him pregnant twelve years prior. When he says hi to the alpha shyly, hand lightly touching his supposed girlfriends back, there is a small glimmer of recognition but it is gone almost as soon as it is there, leaving him frustrated and aggravated. This is made worse by the fact the one he is playing with doesn't even realize what sort of a threat he is.

So he plots and decides to play a bit more with him. After all, there is nothing wrong with playing with toys right? Only he keeps getting shocked by sudden insights to the alpha. What really shocks him however is the fact he is interested in the alpha even though he is not as intelligent as his opponent. Instead, John Watson is a bit of a contradiction. He has morals and firm beliefs yet has no problems with helping Sherlock break the law if he needs to. He is a doctor, a healer, yet the first night he was with the boffin he had shot Jeff Hope to protect him from the poison. Yeah, that is not in any reports, but he still knows about it. There are a lot of other times when the doctor seems to contradict himself and harm just as much as he helps. Then there's the jumpers, everyone who looks at him thinks he is harmless when he really isn't, it's a fascinating thing.

So the day that he arranges with Sherlock to meet at the pool he comes up with another idea. He will offer to cut back his work if the alpha will go out to dinner with him.

A part of him would like to get to know the alpha that gave him his beautiful Jody. Not that very many people know about his Jody. He makes sure to protect her, and to do that she has her alpha's name, not his. Of course, those that do know about her think that she is his right hand man's child. Not that he would ever have a child with Sebastian, he has what he needs and wants with his Jody. Besides, his beautiful daughter had been an accident, the best type of one, but still an accident. Since then he has taken care not to ever get pregnant or get caught unexpected by a heat.

"Are you sure you want this one? Meli startled him and he never even saw the drugs coming that knocked him out so we could put him in the vest." His sniper and second queries over the intercom.

"Don't question my choice Seb, he will either agree to what I want, or I will kill them both. It is that simple." He retorts quietly as he straightens his suit out.

He takes a lot of pleasure in making the alpha say what he wants, even more pleasure in the expression of betrayal and shock on his opponents face when he sees his flatmate and friend standing there with the vest on. The small part of him that wants to cause mischief and is ever so changeable considers killing them right then, but he dismisses that idea. However will he discover if John is a worthwhile alpha if he goes and kills him now?

Besides, Jody has been asking after her second parent. He would like to eventually present him to her. Hopefully he will not be an arse about the fact he got him knocked up on the first occasion they met so many years before.

When he threatens Sherlock he is surprised by the fact that John nearly attacks him, grabbing him by the throat and pulling back hard enough to restrict his breathing though he lets go when the small red dots start to appear on both him and the boffin.

"I have a proposition for you," he announces, pivoting on the ball of his feet and turning towards the blonde alpha.

"I'm listening," Sherlock responds even though he is not the one he is talking to.

"Not you, you're boring." He snaps in response, before clearly stating, "John."

"What?" the short alpha snaps, and he is certain the only reason he is holding still is the sniper targets leveled on both of them.

"Have dinner with me and I will stop terrorizing the city for a time." He replies, lifting one hand up to motion around.

"Why should I?" the blonde retorts angrily.

"Because if you don't, well, I'll kill you both now and keep on having fun at the expense of the city." He replies in a sing-song voice.

Silence falls as the three of them stand there in a bit of a show down. It is probably a good thing his sniper has Sherlock in his sights since he is currently holding a gun on him. Still, he is ignoring the other genius in favor of watching the alpha that he wants to go on a date with.

Make the right choice, he thinks, choose to go out to dinner with me. Give me something to do besides being bored whenever my little girl is in class. She is in class far too much, I should home school her, she's too old to be home schooled, needs to be around other people.

Giving an internal shake of his head, he smiles brightly at the doctor and keeps waiting for an answer. When his phone goes off, he steps away, heading towards the back of the pool to answer it while the other two have a conversation that doesn't seem to need words.

"So?" he demands when he gets off the phone. "What's your answer?"

"To make sure I am clear: I agree to go out to dinner with you, you stop terrorizing the city?" John asks, his tone a lot calmer than it had been just a few short minutes ago.

"Yes! Exactly that, I'll even agree to not terrorize the city at all between now and when our date is, and if we have future dates I will agree not to terrorize the city between them. Not that I will put myself out of business you understand, but I will not be nearly as active." He agrees and explains. He keeps his deals. Well as long as people do not attempt to double cross him he keeps his deals. This is one of those cases where he keeps his deals. Something tells him that if John agrees he will keep his word, the same cannot be said for Sherlock, but it is not Sherlock that he is making the deal with.

"I'll do it," the doctor announces, watching him with furious blue-gray eyes, the same eyes he sees in his daughter every time she's angry actually.

"Excellent. I will text you the arrangements," he replies, his voice dropping back down before he leaves, whistling happily. He has his snipers keep their sights on the pair until he is out of the building and in his car heading home.


	2. Arrangements

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

Thank you for any form of communication, I love it and it keeps me writing!

Lots of thanks to NoOrdinarySouthernGirl for all of her help

* * *

 _John's POV_  
After the consulting criminal leaves the pool, he quickly removes the vest, though he is distracted as he does so, meaning that Sherlock is actually the one who takes care of it.

"Was I just asked on a date in exchange for the havoc to end?" he eventually asks, making sure that he heard right.

Beside him, his friend nods once slowly, studying him, "Yes, yes you were."

"Right," he replies, "Yes, right, just making sure."

"Shall I notify Mycroft that he might want to send a bomb team to deal with the vest?" the boffin queries as he glances at the bomb vest.

"That'd be best," he answers, eyeing the vest and wondering what would have really happened had he said no.

The two of them wait for the team after notifying the politician. Unfortunately, the politician shows up as well, so they end up telling the politician about it. All the auburn-haired alpha manages to say is, "Really?" with a very speculative expression in his eyes.

Over the next five weeks there are no more pips or bombings, nor does he hear from the criminal. They do end up having an interesting case with a dominatrix who outrageously flirted with his flatmate even while claiming she was a lesbian. Though it is a case that sputters out when Sherlock cannot crack the phone code. He has almost forgotten the deal when he finally gets the message and ends up staring at his phone life an idiot for several moments following reading it.

-Dinner tomorrow at 8 pm?-JM

He replies after several minutes, answering. -Yes, of course, - JW

-Perfect. My car will be there at 7:15 pm to pick you up.- JM

"By that odd look you are giving your phone he must have finally picked a date." His flatmate states as he glances up from his experiment.

He nods, returning to make his tea, "Yeah, tomorrow at eight."

"Make sure you wear one of your nicer outfits, I believe he cares appearance." The dark-haired boffin comments, his attention than turning back to his experiment.

He sighs, rubbing the back of his neck as he carries his tea to his seat.

How did he end up in this situation? Oh yes, a mildly insane omega asked him to dinner rather than continuing to blow things up. Why him is all he wants to know? Never mind, that doesn't matter, better to come up with a plan for how to deal with him instead.

"Like a volatile version of me of course," his flatmate remarks from the kitchen, "You were muttering."

For several minutes he sits there thinking about it while drinking his tea. Actually, that is a good idea. He'll wear one of his better date outfits and see how the night goes. He's not planning on trying to get into the other man's pants, mostly because while he is good looking, there is the entire insane genius aspect to consider. As much as he loves danger and gets a thrill from it, he likes knowing he is going to wake up the next morning too.

 _Jim's POV_

"What should I wear?" he mutters as he looks over his many different options.

"Something not as formal as a suit," Molly answers as she enters the room without bothering to know. "John appreciates the suit look, but he prefers simple clothes," her voice is playful and serious as she continues to speak, "Just show him the non-bomb making side of your personality, what Jody and us get to see, and he'll enjoy spending time with you."

"Jeans and a tee-shirt? Slacks and a shirt?" Some combination thereof? Warm colors, cool colors? Damn it, this is hard than arranging a bombing." He mutters, not bothering to hide his account.

She smiles, walking over and eyeing the clothes in his closet, "I have less clothes than you," she tells him before tugging a few items out. "Make something out of those choices," her options include a pair of jeans and three different shirts of varying colors, "Where a white or light gray vest beneath it."

Groaning, he rubs a hand across his face, "Why is this hard?"

Perching on the edge of his bed, she answers, "Because you want it to work. Not just for Jody, but for yourself as well."

He settles next to her sighing, a few moments pass in quiet as he considers that statement. "That was the best heat I have ever shared. Don't get me wrong, Seb is an excellent lover and alpha, but I never felt the same connection with him as I did John. On the rare occasions I slept with other alphas for my heats, none of them were nearly as good."

"Have you considered that you might be destined mates? It's rare but it does happen occasionally where two people have excellent chemistry with each other." She answers her voice soft as she does so. "Do you plan to tell Jody about him?"

"Not yet, not until I know I could trust him. I won't risk her. She has been the brightest point in my life since the day I learned I was pregnant." He replies softly, "What if he doesn't want her, or isn't trust worthy?"

She gives him a one-armed hug, telling him lightly, "I think things will be fine. He lives with Sherlock, you're way easier to deal with."

He smiles wanly, nodding slightly, "You're right, here is to hoping."

"Jody is doing her nightly routine, she said she'll wait for you before going to bed," she informs him lightly, moving away slightly. "I've taken her blood and performed a physical, she is very healthy, not ready to present yet, I think she is going to present as an omega. I'll have the blood work back in two or three days, and let you know exactly what the results are. We had a bit of a girl chat, but I think Irene has previously spoken with her about it." Her voice switches to professional tones as she tells him this.

He groans at the idea of his Jody coming into the physical maturity. He is not ready for her to be to that stage. She's only twelve, he hopes it's a few more years before he has to worry about that.

Since the day he discovered he was pregnant, he had done everything possible to protect her. She became his entire world. The day she was born was the most wonderful day in his life, better than any before or since. Though he would say that every day with his daughter was wonderful to, even the bad days where things go wrong or they argue. When Molly had placed her in his arms, he knew then and there that there was nothing he wouldn't do for her. He would kill to protect himself, but he would do anything, simply anything to protect her.

Over the last few years she had been progressively asking after her alpha parent more often. Wanting to know whose surname she has and why her alpha is not around. While he has always been honest with her, there are some things he has a hard time doing so about, and her alpha parent is one of those things. After all, how does one tell their preteen daughter that she was unplanned for? That she was the result of his birth control and condoms failing? That he never told her alpha that he was going to have a child.

Hopefully this date tomorrow night will be a good one. Then they can schedule more of them in the future. He might even introduce his daughter her alpha father someday if things work out.

* * *

New updating schedule: I will post at least 1 story update on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Each story will only be updated once a week in order to pace myself.

Wednesday 11/9/2015 update is going to be Blessed

I update on two different sites, not all the stories I post are appropriate for this site and can be found on AO3 under jaimistoryteller

In other news: Writing Commissions open as I try to make some money to get my car & house heater fixed, message me for details or commissions.


	3. First Date

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

Thank you for any form of communication, I love it and it keeps me writing!

Lots of thanks to NoOrdinarySouthernGirl for all of her help

 _memory/flashback_

* * *

 _Jim's POV_  
His day seems to simultaneously drag on forever and rush by him at all at the same time. By the time he is getting ready to go, his nerves start to get all jumpy. He has been in far more dangerous situations without feeling this way so why does he feel this way now? It's not a meeting, his inner omega preens, it's a date. Groaning, he finishes dressing before heading to the living room in order to bid his daughter goodnight.

"Are you going to behave for Aunt Molly?" he inquires warmly and with an indulgent smile.

Jumping up, she rushes over to him, a huge smile on her face, "Daddy!" She happily exclaims.

Hugging her, he lightly noses at the top of her head, "Hello baby girl," he murmurs kissing her forehead.

"Always Daddy, be careful during your meeting." she answers him, giving him another hug. "This isn't your meeting clothes."

He smiles at her, saying, "I'm going on a date baby girl, not to a meeting." He tells her calmly, "Depending on how it goes, I may have more dates in the future, and you may even meet him eventually."

Her eyes grow wide and her smile seems to grow as she excitedly asks, "Really?"

He nods, "Really."

"Yay!" she exclaims happily, throwing her arms around him in another quick hug, "Have lots of fun!" She tells him before running off.

"We'll be fine," Molly tells him as she stands and moves to stand beside him. "I hope it goes pleasantly for you, Jim, you deserve some personal happiness."

Scowling at her, he states, "I have Jody, she makes me happy."

Nodding, the beta responds, "She does, but sometimes, mainly around your heats, you start giving my romance novels longing looks."

He glares at her and she just smiles in response.

"It's not a school night, she can stay up until midnight," he tells her right before walking away without further comment on his happiness.

When he gets to the car, Seb is already waiting for him by the front of the car.

"I've been told to make sure your date treats you right or to shoot him if he doesn't," the sniper remarks, a smirk curving his lips. "Her words not mine," a low chuckle escapes his long time friend and employee.

Groaning, he pinches the bridge of his nose, shaking his head and closing his eyes as he tries not to chuckle, "Sometimes I wonder if honesty was the right option with her."

"Of course it was," the alpha remarks as he closes the door and gets into his own seat, "She's a smart girl, like yourself, and would have been furious if you had not. Especially since she would have figured it out eventually."

They share an understanding look, both having known his daughter her entire life and having watched her bloom and grow.

The rest of the ride is quiet as he considers the alpha he is on his way to meet. A part of him wonders if John remembers the fact they shared a heat. Another part wonders if they will be able to develop a healthy relationship, particularly since it is off to such a rocky start. Possibly not a good idea that he asked the alpha to dinner while he was strapped in a bomb vest, some people take offense to that, something to consider for later.

Arriving at the restaurant without any problems, he doesn't get a chance to ask Seb to be available for incase he feels the need to leave quickly. The older man understands without him saying anything, and tells him he will be nearby. Smiling at his second with the type of self-assurance he doesn't have, he nods once and heads insider.

"Good evening sir, do you have reservations?" the host just inside the door inquires politely.

"Moriarty and Watson, party of two," he replies, wondering why he picked somewhere he is not really known and remembering he did not want to show off too much because that would be like peacocking, and he is not an alpha, he is not doing that sort of display.

"Yes sir, your table is ready for you, Chris will show you to it," the host remarks, motioning to a young man standing off to the side.

Silently, he follows the young man through the restaurant, taking notice of all of the people in it and all of the information about them that can be gain just by seeing. At his table, he is happy that it is a booth, along with the fact he has line of sight for nearly every point of approach.

"Would you like something to drink while you wait for the rest of your party?" Chris inquires politely.

For a moment he considers ordering a glass of wine, that would be very relaxing right now, however now is not the time for wine. He needs to keep a clear and cool, well as cool as he ever gets since he does tend to have rapidly changing moods, head, he answers, "Coffee, hazelnut creamer, and sugar."

"Right away sir," Chris replies with a nod, politely backing away and heading towards the kitchen.

Nervously, he lightly drums his fingers on the table as he waits. He had sent his second best driver to fetch John, so he is quite sure that his date will make it there. Unless, of course, he decided to stand him up or cancel at the last moment. That is always a possibility, and one he should have accounted for before coming out tonight.

He is just getting ready to call Harlen when he catches his date's scent even before John comes into view. Now that's odd, he has not noticed any other alpha's scent like that ever.

Should he stand? he wonders, of course he should stand. Not standing would be rude since this is a date, not a business meeting where he is trying to make the other person realize who has all the power.

Slipping out of his seat, his hands automatically go to smooth his clothing out before recalling he is wearing dark-blue jeans, a tucked in white shirt, and a silvery-gray outer vest. Smoothing is not going to help him any.

Instead he focuses in on John, taking in the black slacks, cream colored shirt, and golden colored jumper, though the jumper appears to be better quality than most of what he has seen the doctor in, making him think it was originally a gift.

"Thank you for coming, John," he greets the older man, a small smile tugging at his lips.

His date nods once, smiling back, though it seems strained, "Yeah, um, you're welcome, thanks for inviting me."

For a moment they just stand there looking at each other before he decides to break the staring by sitting down. The silence between them is tense, the hint of emotion just beneath the surface without a word ever being said. Hell, he has been at hostile takeovers that were less tense than the silence between them.

This was a bad idea, he thinks, I just stand and leave, its that easy.

Instead he stays seated as the waiter brings his drink, sugar, and hazelnut creamer.

"What would you like to drink sir?" the waiter inquires with a quick glance at the alpha sitting opposite of him. He'll give the young man credit for ignoring the amount of tension in the air.

John's gray-blue eyes focus in on the waiter for the briefest moment before answering, "Hot tea please," startling him with the use of manners, so many alphas do not use manners.

 _"Coffee please," the alpha requests of the young woman behind the bar._

 _"Coming right up," she replies, attention pulled everywhere at once as various customers yell at her to hurry up or what they want._

 _Smiling, the blonde alpha waits patiently, thanking her when he gets his drink, before paying and heading over towards his corner._

 _He was studying for an exam for later today, bored but wanting to make sure he passes. If he manages to pass this then he can complete his degree next semester rather than having to take two more years of this boring shit._

 _"Mind if I sit here?" the alpha inquires, voice polite much to his shock, alphas are normally arseholes, there is a reason that he has killed three people himself rather than leaving it to his small host of minions._

 _"Okay," he answers._

 _"Thanks," there is a flash of smile. "I'm John."_

 _"Jim, hi," he replies, not sure why this alpha is acting like this._

 _The other man says nothing more, just sips at his coffee while he returns to his reviews._

 _When he was done with his coffee, the alpha stood up, flashing him another smile, "Thanks for the company Jim, good luck," with that he had walked off._

 _Startled, he had shook his head and went back to his work, that afternoon he had passed the exam with perfect marks, that evening his life had changed when he was out enjoying few celebratory drinks and his body had betrayed him by going into an early heat._

He had manners then too, he remembers, a wistful smile curving his lips.

After the waiter withdraws, going to fetch his date's drink, the silence seems to come back, only now it seems as awkward as it is tense.

"Alright, skip this, just so we're clear, this is an actual date and not just us sitting here trying to figure out why we are here and whether we actually want to kill each other or not for various reasons?" John blurts out, giving him a peculiar look.

He blinks, not sure what to make of that question.

"This is not a situation I am used to being in. Normally I ask others to dinner, they don't ask me, particularly not while I am wearing a bomb vest." The alpha continues with a slight shrug, "So what is the situation we find ourselves in?"

He blinks again, really not sure how to answer. This was a bad idea, he should pay and leave. Now.

Shaking his head, the alpha comments, "Sorry, really not sure what to say here, or where we stand. I'm not trying to make you uncomfortable."

"You don't make sense." He complains, not sure what else to say and still feeling the need to flee.

"Sherlock tells me that some days too." His date responds calmly, "Here, let's start this over." Offering a hand, the alpha states, "Hello, nice to meet you, I'm John,"

He smiles in response, accepting the hand and replying, "Nice to meet you, Jim, hi," his Irish accent sneaks in, adding a slight burr to his tone that he normally tries to suppress whenever he is not as home.

John smiles at warmly, a bit of a shock considering, his grip tightening just the slightest bit. It is a firm but gentle shake, not one of those where the alpha tries to show his superior strength by squeezing his hand.

"Thanks for inviting me," the alpha states as he slowly lets go of his hand, his thumb trailing along his fingers, causing a warm feeling through him, "You look good."

"You do too," he responds distractedly as he considers the feelings that are currently going through him.

The two of them settle into their seats, picking up the menus to look them over. He really does not know what he wants to eat, if he even wants to eat. It's better if he eats, otherwise Molly will yell at him about the fact it has been more than twenty-hours since the last time he ate.

"The balsamic grilled chicken looks good," John comments as he glances through the options.

He glances up, studying the alpha who is carefully eyeing the menu, a familiar look of concentration on his face since it is one he has seen on his daughter's face plenty of times in the past.

"I am debating between the grilled cilantro salmon and the pan seared lemon tilapia with parmesan pasta," he responds, a nice neutral topic, food is almost always a safe topic.

A small smile curves the doctor's lips as he looks up for a minute as if to say something, however before he has a chance to the waiter comes over, inquiring, "Are you ready, sirs?"

John motions to him to go first, a rarity since most alphas prefer to be first in all things.

"I have a question for you, which is better if you know, the grilled cilantro salmon or the pan seared lemon tilapia with parmesan pasta?" he inquires of the waiter, still not sure which one to go with.

The young man considers it for a moment, answering, "I am allergic to fish, however based on sales and reviews I would say the grill cilantro salmon is the better dish sir."

"Then I will try it," he responds smoothly, "Hot lemon tea with dinner as well thank you."

"I'll have the balsamic grilled chicken with lemonade, please," his date requests politely, setting the menu aside.

"Yes sirs," the waiter remarks, quickly jotting it down on a pad of paper, "Would you like your drinks refilled while you wait?"

Both glance at their cups before answering at the same time with, "No, thank you," and "Not now."

He smiles a bit at that, finding amusement in the fact they had answered at the same time.

Nodding politely, the waiter withdraws, leaving them sitting there in another awkward silence, though at least this one is not tense.

"Is chicken your favorite meat?" he inquires, thinking again that at least food is a neutral topic to discuss.

"Nah," his date replies with a small shake of his head, "It just sounded good. I don't really have a favorite meat. I pretty much like to discover something at every place I like in order to always have something to eat." Watching him intently, as if he actually cares about the answer, he inquires, "Do you have something you favor?"

The attention is different than what he is used to but it still makes him smile a little bit as he replies, "I'm very fond of fish, though I have not found one in particular I favor above the rest."

"Fish huh? I can make some decent cod." John remarks, still watching him with that peculiar look he has not been able to actually identify past the intenseness of it.

The silence falls again, broken only by the soft murmur of other people in the background. This time it does not go on long enough to become awkward.

"Do you like reading?" John queries, still smiling at him warmly.

He blinks, quickly going over what he has read in recent months and trying to figure out something he could mention that he had not read with Jody, at this point he is not going to mention their shared daughter. From what he can tell John doesn't even remember that heat.

"I do, it is one of my preferred past times when not working." He answers, not saying what sort of books he reads, "Do you read?"

John opens his mouth to answer, closing it as the waiter comes over with their meals.

"Thank you," the alpha tells the waiter, before cutting into his chicken. "Yes, I read, pretty much anything, though I tend to avoid true crime books in recent years." His smile turns cheeky as he continues, "Don't like hearing how everything in it is wrong. Once or twice is fine, every book, rather annoying. Do you have a favorite genre?"

"Not particularly, I do keep up with math and IT journals and articles, but that is more out of a desire to stay at the top of my field," he answers, not many realize he makes the majority of his money as an accountant and on the legal side. "It might surprise you, but my criminal activities make me a lot less money than accounting and playing with money on the legal side."

The alpha gives him a very speculative look, "That's good to know, interesting even. I never would have pegged you for the math type."

Chuckling, he cuts his fish up, commenting, "Yes, I like math, it's interesting what a person can do with numbers."

Silence falls between them, only this time it is not nearly as awkward or odd as other silences.

"Why did you become both a doctor and a soldier?" he inquires, curious about the alphas motivation for taking on such opposite goals in his life.

It takes John a few minutes to answer him, almost as if he has to figure out what he wants to say.

"I always wanted to help people, but to become a surgeon cost more than I could afford. Since being a soldier would pay for it, I went with it." His date responds, only he can hear a wealth more behind that statement and quickly is able to understand far more than John probably wants him to know.

Conversation flounders for a few moments while they eat their dinner.

"Music?" John suddenly asks, "Do you have a music preference?"

Playfully smiling, he answers, "Anything with a beat, preferably not a slow one, except you know, when I feel like something slow."

A light chuckle escapes the doctor, along with a small shake of his head. "Silly question I guess."

Memory seems to be just beneath the surface of the alpha's eyes, though he wonders what he is remembering, that café on campus with the coffee? The club they had run into each other later that night and ended up leaving together? His ringtone when they were at the pool?

"Not really, life keeps me on the go a lot, music is thus easier to listen to than TV, plus I travel a lot, so I have a wide variety of likes." He comments, happy that the conversation seems to be moving in a smoother way than it was earlier. Tilting his head a bit to the side he inquires, "What sort of music tastes do you have?"

"I listen to a little of everything, probably from being in the army, everyone had different tastes, I just listened to whatever was playing." Smiling, the alpha remarks, "I can say I did not start learning classical until I moved into Baker Street."

He smiles back, not sure what to say in response to that, he knows that his opponent plays a violin, a beautiful violin from his understanding. Is it possible that he is bisexual and prefers the company of fellow alphas? His eyes sweep over him again, dismissing that idea almost as soon as it comes up, apparently they are equally nervous.

Several minutes is passed in silence, but it is not awkward or tense like it was at the beginning of the date, instead it simply is, much like the silence of the first time they met, years ago.

"Would you like to go dancing after this?" he inquires, deciding it might not be the best idea, but he is not actually ready for the night to be done when they finish eating.

Nodding, smile still surprisingly warm, he date responds, "I'd like that."

They finish their meal in peace, occasionally talking about the most pointless and random things. Slowly, what's left of the awkwardness and tension fades out, and it's almost like that first meeting or a real first date, one where he had not forced his companion to join him through a threat.

He's startled when John offers to pay for the meal even though he clearly knows that the other man does not have a lot of money. They compromise and he agrees that John can pay for their drinks and admission into whatever club they end up at. They end up at one of his favorite clubs, which means his date only ends up paying for himself, but he doesn't tell him that, and instead the two of them spend the rest of the evening dancing and listening to music, not really talking, just enjoying each other's company.

"221 Baker Street," he tells Seb at the end of the night, hand motioning for him to stay quiet as they slide into the car.

The alpha nods, accepting the order, though he is sure he is going to get asked questions later.

When they reach the flat, John gives him a crooked little smile, "I had a surprisingly good night, as long as there are no bombs involved in the asking, I wouldn't mind doing it again."

He blinks, his mind quickly processing the fact that John is not adverse to spending another evening with him, and without threats even, that is more than he expected, even with as smooth as it went after they finished their rocky beginning.

"Good," he replies, "I think that could be arranged."

"Good, well then, have a good night Jim, sweet dreams," his date tells him before shocking him by lightly kissing his cheek.

"You too," he mumbles, almost not in time as the doctor slides out of the vehicle and heads inside.

"Take me home, Seb," he requests as he sits back, staring blindly out of the window as he reviews everything that happened from the moment they greeted each other to now.

* * *

New chapters of something posted on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Once a week per story, only up to 8 stories per week.


	4. Excitement

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

Thank you for any form of communication, I love it and it keeps me writing!

* * *

 _Jody's POV_  
She's very excited for her Daddy. He's going on a date! Her Daddy never goes on dates. This person he is going on a date with must be very important to him. Daddy called them a him. So he must be smart because Daddy would never go out with someone who is an idiot.

Running out to the car after leaving her Daddy's side, she slides to a stop beside her Uncle Sebastian. Looking up at the tall alpha and demanding, "You're taking Daddy to his date?"

He nods once, his eyes crinkling slightly, "Yes, honeycat, I am."

Straighten to the tallest she can go, she announces, "Good." Jabbing a finger in his side, she orders him, "Then you make sure his date treats him right or you shoot him if he doesn't."

He nods solemnly, "I'll keep that in mind, honeycat."

Beaming at him, she exclaims, "Take care of Daddy for me, Uncle 'Bastian! Goodnight!"

She throws her arms around him a quick hug which he returns as he bids her, "Goodnight honeycat."

Turning on her heel, she races back into the house. As she passes through the kitchen her aunt catches her attention.

"There you are Jody, what were you doing?" the older woman inquires with a smile as she moves towards her.

Stopping, she pivots and looks at her, answering, "Telling Uncle 'Bastian to shoot Daddy's date if he doesn't treat Daddy right."

Chuckling her aunt stops and looks down at her, "I think that Jim's date will be a successful one, and Sebastian will not need to shoot anyone. The alpha he is meeting for dinner is a good man."

Eyes widening, she demands, "You know him?"

Nodding, Aunt Molly suggests, "Let's get some banana splits and we can go discuss him in the living room by the fire."

Grinning, because she loves banana splits and Aunt Molly always lets her have one, she agrees happily, "Alright! I'll get the toppings out!"

The next several minutes are spent with them making their banana splits. Once they are ready, her aunt picks them up and carries them to the downstairs living room. When they get in the living room, her aunt sets their bowls down on the coffee table before getting a fire going and settling on the end of the sofa, picking hers back up again.

"Tell me about him!" she excitedly exclaims as she starts into her banana split, watching her aunt closely.

When her aunt does not immediately answer, she has to remind herself to be patient, but she really doesn't want to be, she wants to know and she wants to know now.

"Well he is a little taller then—" her aunt begins.

She doesn't give her a chance to finish, interrupting to stress, "I don't care about looks, I want to know what he's like. Will he treat Daddy with respect? Will he be nice to Daddy? Will he make Daddy smile? Will he care about Daddy?"

There is a bit of a pause while her aunt figures out where she wants to start again. Impatiently, she focuses on her banana split instead so not to bounce around with all her excitement.

"John is polite most of the time that I have seen. I think he will treat Jim with respect and care. I've seen him devote his entire focus to one person or situation so I'm sure he will pay attention to Jim. John can be very sweet and quiet when he wants to be, many see him as unassuming." Her aunt tells her, pausing to take a few bites to eat. "I think that it will start off a bit awkwardly but will warm up between them relatively quickly. I'm pretty sure they will be able to make each other smile and laugh. Everything else will have to wait and see."

She listens with rapt attention, trying to notice if there is any variation in her aunt's voice that could give second meaning to her words. Daddy has challenged her to start listening closer to learn the details that are not spoken but implied instead by tone of voice and word choice. It is sometimes hard, but she is still trying. Her aunt seems to like this John, to respect him, that's good since there is not a lot of people her aunt likes.

"I hope Daddy has a good time tonight." She announces, "That the date goes good and he has another one if it makes him happy."

While she finishes her banana split, her aunt nods and agrees with her.

"Me too, Jody, me too."

After they finish up, they set their bowls on the table and just grin at each other for a moment.

"What would you like to do?" her aunt inquires with a smile.

"Can we discuss something interesting?" she inquires after thinking about it for a bit.

"What would you consider interesting?" her aunt asks pleasantly.

"Not math," she replies distastefully, "Daddy might like math, I don't. I like science and animals instead."

"Well then," her aunt begins, "Have you ever considered getting a pet?"

Biting her lip, she thinks about it, "Yes and no?" she pauses to look down before looking back up at her aunt, "I've always wanted a cat but I'm not really home enough to take care of one."

"Really?" she inquires excitedly, a bit disbelieving because she has rarely been over to her aunts home and Aunt molly has never actually invited her over just to invite her over. Actually, she can only remember one cat, a brindle one named Toby.

Nodding, her aunt replies, "Really. I know you haven't been over much, but for the most part that is because of safety reasons, not because I don't want you in my home."

"Oh," she mutters, looking down as she actually considers that.

She knows that some of Daddy's jobs are not legal, that there are those who would like to hurt him by hurting her. So of course it must be taken into consideration when she goes anywhere. It is part of the reason she goes to a school where they have guards and advanced security, the reason she has a driver that takes her back and forth, the reason she has to be careful when she meets new people to make sure they are safe. Her Daddy has enemies, maybe not a lot, but some. It's the reason this is the first year she wasn't home schooled. The reason her closest friends are her aunts and uncles.

"Does John know what Daddy does?" she hesitantly asks, biting her lower lip, "Both sides of it?"

Nodding, her aunt answers her reassuringly, "He does, maybe not all of it, but enough that he is not in the dark."

"I hope it is a good date," she comments again. Whispering, she asks, "Aunt Molly?"

"Yes Jody?"

"Is Daddy happy?" she just about mumbles because she is embarrassed to ask, but it is something she sometimes worries about.

"Oh, Jody, of course he's happy, he has you and that makes him very happy. He even told me that before he left for his date." Her aunt replies, gently she asks, "Why do you think he is not?"

It is not a question she really wants to answer, but he will because that is the family rule, be honest with each other if not with everyone else.

"Sometimes he smells sad, it's the only emotion I ever smell off of him, but I still smell it sometimes. Not all the time, just sometimes. Mostly late at night when I am supposed to be in bed and I have to use the bathroom." She whispers in answer.

"Listen to me, Jody, he's happy with you and your life together. Even if he never found a mate, he would still be happy because he has you." Her aunt reassures her firmly but gently, and then goes on to explain, "You are beginning to develop the alpha-omega senses. That's why you can smell his sadness but I bet its rare and more of an occasional longingness around the time of his three day heats, am I right?"

Concentrating, she focuses on her memories of when it happens, realizing that her aunt is right, it is around his heats. Not even every heat, just sometimes. Does that mean that Daddy might not realize he wants a mate? Could this alpha end up being Daddy's mate? He is the first alpha she can remember Daddy going on a date with, well the first person at all Daddy has gone on a date with. If he is his mate, that would be nice because then Daddy wouldn't smell sad around his heats. Plus Daddy might have other pups, she could have a sibling if Daddy found a mate. Daddy should find a mate.

"Do you think that John could be Daddy's mate?" she asks her aunt with a hopeful expression, wanting siblings, siblings would be nice.

Several minutes pass in silence before her aunt finally answers the question. With each minute that passes she grows worried and excited in equal measures. There must be a reason her aunt is taking so long to answer. Why hasn't she answered yet? Got to be calm like Uncle 'Bastian or Aunt Irene but it's hard when she really wants to fidget in place.

"Maybe, Jody, just maybe," her aunt finally answers.

"Yay!" she exclaims happily as she jumps to her feet.

"Now let's clean up our mess," her aunt suggests, motioning to the banana split bowls.

She nods, grabbing her bowl quickly while her aunt stands and grabs her bowl. The two of them head into the kitchen, rinsing them off and shoving them into the dishwasher.

"Would you like some hot chocolate?" her aunt inquires.

"Yes!" she exclaims, bouncing up and down, "Thank you Aunt Molly."

Her aunt smiles and hums as she sets to making hot chocolate and she hums along as she sits on one of the stools by the counter. When the hot chocolate is done they return to the living room where they spend the rest of the evening discussing science and animals except for the breaks they take for the bathroom and to get more hot chocolate.

Through it all, she keeps an eye on the clock, hoping that her Daddy will be home before she has to go to bed.

"Time to get ready for bed," her aunt announces at a quarter to midnight.

"Alright," she responds, not wanting to go to bed without seeing Daddy.

She drags her feet, causing her aunt to prompt her to move it long. They are just heading upstairs when she pauses, her ears picking up the sound of Daddy and Uncle 'Bastian's car.

Turning on her heel, she heads down to the garage door, waiting for him to come through it, dancing in place excitedly. He is just barely through the door and she is throwing her arms around him in a tight hug.

"Daddy!" she excitedly exclaims, hugging him tighter. "Hi Daddy, I hope your date was fun, I missed you, we talked about animals. Aunt Molly said I can share her cats and come play with them since we're not home enough to have a cat." She babbles excitedly and happily. Snuggling into the fact he is hugging her back.

Kissing the top of her head, he states, "Go get ready for bed, baby girl, I'll be up shortly to tuck you in. I'll tell you about my date tomorrow."

"Okay Daddy," she happily agrees, just about skipping as she heads upstairs to her room.

Daddy is happy, she thinks, he looked like he had a good time.

She just about flies through her shower and brushing her teeth, when it comes time to brush her hair, she perches on the edge of her bed and debates about whether she wants to do it or wait for Daddy to do it. She really likes it when Daddy does her hair.

Hearing a knock she decides to let him do it, and waits for him to come in.

"Hand that here, baby girl," he directs her as he settles on the bed with her.

Beaming, she does so, turning the rest of the way to present her back to him.

The next several minutes are spent with her relaxing as he brushes her hair and puts it into her sleeping braids. Afterwards, she curls up under her blankets, with him kissing her forehead and tucking her in. Still perched on her bed, he starts to tell her a story but she quickly falls asleep to the soft lilt of his voice. She loves listening to him, his voice isn't as flat as many of the people around here's.

Tomorrow she will make sure he tells her about his date.

* * *

Publishing schedule, I will update one or two stories on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. No story will be updated twice in the same week.

I write do commissions for those who are interested, the info can be found On my Tumblr under Donations and Commissions


	5. Night Gossip

I love any sort of reviews, comments, and communication.

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

* * *

 _Jim's POV_

The ride back to his home is quiet as he is lost in thought and Seb isn't asking him about the date yet. Yet being the key word since he is sure the alpha will be asking him about it with Molly once they are home. Not that he has any idea how he is going to answer at this point.

He is barely in the door when his daughter is there, wrapping her arms around him firmly, nose pressed tight against his chest. Better have Molly check to see what she is going to present as since he cannot smell it yet but she is already beginning to show signs of presenting.

She babbles into his chest, telling him all about her evening with Aunt Molly as she continues to hug him tightly.

Lightly kissing the top of her head, he suggests, "Go get ready for bed, baby girl, I'll be up shortly to tuck you in." He shares a smile with Molly over his daughter's head, "I'll tell you about my date tomorrow."

"Okay Daddy," she happily agrees, running off towards the upstairs and their bedrooms.

"Is Sebastian coming in?" the beta inquires as she tilts her head and studies him.

"Yes," he answers, knowing the alpha is still very curious about his date.

Nodding, she comments, "Then I'll get the water heating."

"Good idea," he responds as he starts heading towards the door, "What did you have for dinner?" he has a pretty good idea from what he can smell and the traces he can see but he still wants to ask.

"Banana splits," she replies with a smile, "Jody's was chocolate and strawberry ice cream, bananas, strawberries, cherries, pecans, almonds, chocolate syrup, and pineapple."

He groans, but can't seem to stop the silly smile that he is sure he is giving her. Shaking his head, he heads upstairs to his daughter's room. When he gets there, he listens to make sure she is out of the shower, before knocking twice and entering. His daughter is sitting on the edge of her bed, brush in hand.

"Hand it here, baby girl," he states as he sits down on the bed with her.

Smiling, she does so, turning to present her back and the majority of her hair to him so he can slowly take care of it. This has been their habit for as long as she has had hair for him to brush. Any time he is home at night after her evening shower, he brushes her hair. Carefully, he divides it into the two sleeping braids as he goes so that it is easier to work on and make sure it does not knot.

Once her hair is done, he tucks her in, telling her the tale of the Swan Princess as she drifts off to sleep. He knows she will ask for it again, and probably continue to ask for it until the day she manages to hear the entire story, but that is okay, it's more time spent with his baby girl.

Kissing her forehead one more time, he stands turning off the lights and heading out the door.

When he gets back downstairs, the beta and alpha are in the living room waiting for him, three pots sitting on the table beside the sofa. He can smell the hot coffee, tea, and chocolate from the door.

"Which do you want?" she inquires, glancing over her shoulder at him.

"Chocolate," he responds with a smirk, like his daughter he has a major sweet tooth.

She nods, picking up one of the pots and pouring some for him as he walks across the room.

Accepting it, he heads to his favorite chair, dropping in it, and throwing a leg over the arm as he relaxes.

"Who's on external guard duty?" the beta inquires, glancing at the alpha curiously.

"Willis and Louie," the sniper responds, "Thomron on cameras."

Nodding, she remarks, "Then I will take them drinks when we are done, depending on when we get done." There is a playful note to her voice, something he understands is purely her. tuning her attention to him, she asks, "So how was the date?" as she pours herself a hot chocolate and sits back.

Sebastian gives her a dirty look that he finds amusing as the alpha has to pour his own drink, selecting the coffee.

"It went," he pauses, looking for the right word when he still is not sure how to describe their date, "better than expected." He settles on.

Both look at him expectantly, waiting for him to give more details he's sure.

"It's gossip time, share!" declares the pathologist with a still hopeful expression. "Is there going to be a second date? Does 'Bastian need to go shoot him in the groin? Was I a pleasant evening? Come on now, none of us are on the clock, indulge a little."

Chuckling, he mutters, "And people think I'm the blood thirsty one."

"Well, you sort of are Jim, the only reason we all get along as well as we do, is we all are." The alpha retorts with a smirk.

Smirking, he nods in agreement, his sniper has a point. "Once we got past the awkward beginning, things went good. I nearly left just moments after he sat down." He finally replies after sipping at his hot chocolate, still not giving the details that he knows she really wants.

She smiles at him, understanding the fact he is still processing. A little known fact among those who do know him is that he has been friends with Molly since they were children. They had attended the same schools starting when they were eight years old and he had been transferred from the family he was living with to a new one. She is one of the few people who can question him without making him furious. Over the years she had stayed with him even when she didn't agree with his choices. Somehow they had stayed friends and she was one of the few people he could connect with.

She was also the first person to know he was an omega. He had gone into his first heat while they were doing homework. She had kept the alphas who tried coming after his scent away by grabbing a fire extinguisher and spraying them with it until they are able to get somewhere safe. She had stayed to guard him through the entire heat. That had won his loyalty.

"It was nice," he tells him, "We ate dinner, talked about random facts, and finished the night out dancing." His focus is more on beta than on the alpha. His voice gets quiet as he states, "He said he would even be willing to do it again as long as there are no bombs involved."

She squeals happily, clapping her hands together, "That's great! Are you going to do it?"

He stares at his nearly empty cup. He wants to, he's sure it would be interesting. So far the alpha had managed to be very interesting despite the fact he is ordinary just because he keeps doing things he does not expect. At the same time, he is not sure he should. Connecting has never been easy for him, the only people he has ever successfully connected with being his daughter and the two here in the room with him. Would it be worth it to try and connect with John? What if things do not work out? How much hard would it be for him to try again in the future? To date, John's the only alpha he has felt a physical connection with.

"I don't know," he finally answers, still staring at his cup.

Standing, she lifts the pot, walking over to him to pour him another cup. "You should," she tells him seriously, "If you enjoyed yourself, you really should."

For the first time since the exchange started, his alpha friend comments, "Both of smelled happy in the car. I think you should do it."

"'Bastian's right, if you were happy, you should do it again," Molly tells him with a nod as she returns to her seat.

Silence falls between them as he considers it.

"What about my heats?" he finally asks. It is something that has been floating through his mind and concerning him. Alpha's can be very territorial. Even though he has a daughter with John, the alpha does not know that and he's not sure when he wants to tell him.

"At this point he doesn't really have a say. John's the honorable sort, he'll not try forcing you to share them," the pathologist comments, "If he does try forcing the issue, then you know he's not worth it."

He nods, still thinking about it.

"Ignoring your heats, will you want another date?" she inquires, a hopeful expression on her face.

"Yes," he replies slowly.

"Perfect! Give him two weeks, then text him if he hasn't messaged you," she happily suggests, before inquiring, "More hot chocolate?"

"Yes," he responds as he sips at his, knowing the pot is probably nearly empty since they've both had two cups.

Standing again, she comments, "I'll go give the boys what's left in the pots, then make fresh, be back in a minute."

For the first few minutes after she leaves there is quiet as the two of them consider the situation.

"Jim," the alpha draws his attention, "I'm sure that if you continue to see Watson everything will work out fine." He pauses, catching his eye, "He's got a reputation among the soldiers he took care of for being an unusually laid back alpha who cares for anyone he is supposed to. Apparently he has never shown signs of possessive behavior towards any of the omegas he has bedded."

He scowls at his friend, both reassured and not wanting to think of John with other omegas. The alpha might not be possessive but he is. Another part of his mind wonders why he never found a mate. Perhaps he is the type who does not want a mate and family.

His attention is drawn out of his mind by the beta returning and ordering him, "Out of your head Jim, stop over thinking."

Ruefully smiling, he accepts the refill on his hot chocolate. Taking a sip, he relaxes further into the chair, becoming nearly boneless in his posture, "You're right," he mutters.

"So gossip, get it off your chest, promise you'll feel better, maybe we will even laugh about it together." She encourages him fondly as she refills the alpha's cup. "We'll listen and cheer you on as you figure things out. Who is else going to do that?"

"Irene would cheer him on, mostly so she could watch. Ian would be uncomfortable with it, so we're your best bet for support," the sniper remarks, leaning back and relaxing into the sofa, "We support you 'cause we're friends, you'd support us if the situation was reversed."

He smirks at the older man, acknowledging those facts.

They go through two more pots worth of hot chocolate and coffee before the conversation is finally over. It is rather relaxing, and he enjoys himself. At some point the ice cream is fetched, along with all the toppings, and the three of them make sundaes. Seb gets cold or notices he is cold because the fire is stoked, so it gives off a lot of heat. By the time the conversation is done, it is nearly time for Jody to get up because she has an arranged study date with a few of her classmates. While the other two clean up their late night treats, he makes her breakfast.

She shuffles in just as he is finishing breakfast, brightening the moment she sees him.

Hugging her and wishing her a good visit, he heads up to his room, collapsing on his bed. His dreams are full of a familiar scent surrounding him, firm arms holding, and a reassuring smile whenever he looks towards the person he is with.

* * *

I have a new publishing schedule, I will update one or two stories on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. No story will be updated twice in the same week.

What do you lovely people think so far of this Jim and John figuring things out? Any favorite moments or things you hate?

So I clicked on post before I left the house, checked it on a borrowed phone right before the phone died only to realize it had not posted, here is the Monday update!


	6. Laughing and Talking

I love any sort of reviews, comments, and communication.

Tumblr about my stories: JaimiStoryTeller

* * *

 _John's POV_  
Long after the car had pulled way he could still smell the surprise from the consulting criminal, the shock, and the pleasure. What was he surprised about, he wonders, the fact he said he would like to do it again or the fact he kissed his cheek?

Shaking his head slightly, he sighs and heads inside the flat.

He is not surprised when he finds Sherlock sprawled on the sofa thinking yet wide awake.

Tilting his head, the younger man inquires, "What is bothering you?"

"He was confused when we parted ways, I am trying to figure out why," he replies, taking his coat off, and hanging it up. "Tea?" he offers, heading towards the kitchen.

"Yes," his flatmate responds, rolling into an upright position and glancing in his direction. "What else happened? I am curious about the details of your date with a criminal mastermind. It must have been more interesting than all of those dates with the useless females."

He considers that question as he sets the water to boil and washes their cups. How would he describe his date tonight? Aching familiar, though he cannot figure out for the life of him why it would be. Awkward, particularly at the beginning, he hasn't babbled like that since he was in school, and not uni either, before that. It was enjoyable, spending time with the slender omega is something he hopes to do it again, well as long as Jim no threatening to kill him anyways.

He might have a bit of a danger kink, but he does not have a death wish, not any more anyways.

Making the tea and carrying it out to the living room, he hands one over before settling into his chair. "I don't know how to describe it," he finally answers, "Definitely different than any time I have been on a date with a woman."

"Well you went dancing at some point, or were at least at a club, I have never known you to be a big dancer." His flatmate comments, looking him over, "You ended up somewhere nice, but it was still something you could have afforded if you were the one paying. Interesting, I expected him to try showing off."

Chuckling, he sets his cup aside and comments, "You seem to have a good grasp on it, why would I need to say anything?"

"Because I am sure I have missed something, I always do," the younger alpha responds before demanding, "Now tell me what I missed."

His chuckle deepens as he considers that and the changes in his friend over the last year. The Sherlock he had originally met never would have admitted that to him, but his friend had grown a lot in the time they had known each other.

"I missed something too," he replies, "At the end of the night I told him I wouldn't mind doing it again as long as there was no bomb threats involved in the mix and he seemed genuinely surprised." He pauses, thinking about it still, "I thought it had been a good date, well once we got past the awkwardness of the beginning it was a good date. Right off was really awkward since I wasn't sure why I was there. I mean I am not nearly as interesting as you, yet I am the one he asked out."

"You're like catnip for us," his flatmate responds, "Everything about you seems ordinary. Then you go and do something unexpected. I am certain Mycroft and I am not the only ones to notice."

He stares at his friend, not sure exactly what that means but sure it means something.

"You're not…?" he trails off, not sure how to put it into words.

"No, oh no. I like other alphas, yes, however I also like one in particular, and I do not believe he has noticed me in that way. It's not you." His friend answers, shrugging and continuing, "He is one I have known far longer but I did not want to acknowledge the attraction to."

"Really?" he queries, "I guess I always saw you as the uninterested type. Like a priest or nun or something."

Chuckling, he flatmate shakes his head, "Occasionally I feel the need to find physical release, but it's pretty rare. Plus I don't react to omegas in heat the way most our kind do, I have no interest in them actually, find their scent makes me nauseous rather than horny. Back to you, he probably is trying to figure out what makes you different and it's driving him batty. I know it drives me batty, and we're very similar. I wouldn't have thought him interested in the relationships if he had not asked you out."

Grinning, he asks, "Any ideas on why he was surprised?"

He is still stumped over the fact he was shocked. What could he have done that was so surprising to the genius? Jim is definitely a genius, as smart, possibly smarter than Sherlock, though he is not going to mention that to his flatmate.

"What did you do in the moments leading up to the surprise from him?" the boffin inquires.

The next several minutes are spent recapping the night dancing and the ride back to the flat, followed by kissing the omega gently on his cheek, he hasn't even mentioned the getting out of the car when Sherlock suddenly yells, "That's it!" his expression a bit on the manic side, even if it seems to be pleased.

Blinking, he tilts his head to the side and asks, "What's it?"

"Well you do not act like most alphas." The younger man answers seriously.

Standing, he mutters, "I'm going to make more tea, you figure out how to explain it to an idiot what I did that was surprising."

Laughing, his flatmate offers up his cup for a refill before stretching back out on the sofa.

"You know what, John?" the boffin questions as he stretches again.

"What?" he responds as he puts the water on to boil.

"I like when we do this sharing, why don't we do it more?" the dark-haired alpha inquires.

Chuckling, he answers, "Cause we suck at communication?"

"Hmmmm," Sherlock responds, not saying anything else and staying quiet while he finishes their teas up.

He is still waiting for an answer to his question, but that's alright, sometimes it takes time for his friend to figure out the words needed. When the tea is done he carries it out into the living room, setting Sherlock's down on the table in front of him while he settles back into his chair.

Lots of folks have commented on the fact they are so very close and many have thought they were together. What they are is just really good friends, more like close siblings, though why he feels that connection with the dark-haired genius when he doesn't with his own sister he does not know.

"In answer to your question: you surprised him by not demanding another date, by not forcing him to kiss you, by not acting like a typical alpha. You surprised him by being John Watson, doctor and soldier, caregiver and killer, enemy and friend all in one cuddly jumper wrapped up package." The younger man tells him before sitting up again and reaching for his tea. "It's brilliant!"

"Okay then," he mutters, taking a sip of his tea, "Ummm, you're sure it's not me you like right? 'Cause that sounded awful praise-ish, and you do not normally give praise."

Snorting, the genius responds, "Yes, I'm sure, I prefer a taller, older partner."

Taller and older? What alpha fits that description that he can think of that has known Sherlock longer than him? The only one to come to mind is Greg, is that who he is referring to?

"Greg?" he inquires, a bit startled, because the detective inspector is a lot like him for manners.

The flush that colors the boffin's light colored skin gives it away.

"Is that why you always call him by the wrong first name?" he inquires, "Because you like him?" That's actually confusing, why would Sherlock do that? Are both the geniuses in his life going to confuse him?

"I call him anything but his first name because I do not want him to realize," the younger man answers, "It started off as a way to keep distance between us, and now it's more of a habit."

"Wow, we need help," he laughs, "I mean look at us, I am sitting here trying to understand what I did wrong that confused my date, a rather enjoyable date with someone who blows people up and causes God knows how much other trouble. You're sitting here trying not to get a boner over the detective inspector we work with because you don't want to tell him that you get boners about him." Once he starts laughing, he finds that he cannot stop. It is just too funny. "All the while, pretty much everyone thinks that we're the couple, when we are completely not."

For a minute the younger man scowls at him, before his lips twitch and soon enough he is laughing too. Several long minutes pass with them just sitting there laughing their arses off at the irony of it all.

"You're right!" the younger man finally gasps as he gains control of himself, "Did you spike the tea with something?"

He shakes his head, "No, and I just bought it yesterday, so unless someone drugged the tea at the store, it should be good. Have you been doing mind altering experiments again?"

"Not recently, I've been having too much fun with your date."

That sends them both off in another round of laughter. Why, he does not really know, but it does.

"So, when are you asking him to dinner?" his friend finally asks as they straighten up again.

"I'll ask him when you ask Greg," he replies, not even close to sure as to what he would do for a dinner date with the consulting criminal. He would want to make it special and is not sure how to go about doing that for someone like him. Hmmmmm.

"Deal," the younger alpha responds, grabbing his phone from his pocket and speed dialing someone. He is pretty sure he knows who.

"Greg?"

"Yes, I know your first name, always have."

"Dinner, tomorrow, at Natali's, eight pm."

"Yes, I said dinner, no formal wear is not required, no this is not for a case, no John is not going to have a problem with this, yes I want to have dinner with you."

"Right, good, I'll send a car."

He just stares at the younger man as he speaks with their mutual friend on the phone, wanting to get swallowed because that was not the action he was expecting. Seriously, why did Sherlock have to do it now? Actually, he has an idea.

"Can you be out of the flat and keep yourself busy without getting hurt tomorrow?" he asks, glancing about and smiling, oh yeah, he has an idea.

"You wish to invite him here for dinner since you cannot think of somewhere else to take him due to your income being limited." The boffin remarks after studying him for a few minutes, "Then we need to get this place ready!" the younger man announces, jumping to his feet and looking around as if trying to figure out what exactly needs to be done.

"Wait, what?" he is a bit confused, Sherlock n ever shows this much interest in cleaning or anything of that nature.

"You want to impress him, and I want you to. If the two of you are together, perhaps we can come up with other ways to deal with boredom that do not get both you and Greg mad at me," the younger man answers, still looking around a bit lost.

"Ah," he mumbles, "Well, you could clean up any experiments that don't need to be littered all over the place in the kitchen so I can use it for cooking tomorrow?" he suggests, not actually thinking the younger man is going to do it, so he is very surprised when he turns and heads out there, doing just that.

Grinning, he gets to his feet, heading to the small closet where he stores all of the cleaning supplies to get them out. They spend the rest of the evening talking about the most random things while working on the flat. By time morning comes, the flat looks a lot cleaner and when Mrs. Hudson comes up to give them some scones she nearly has a panic attack from shock. It takes them nearly an hour to reassure her that everything is fine, John's just bringing a date over and both of them want it to go smoothly, followed by explaining that Sherlock is going on a date with Detective Inspector Lestrade when she starts to worry about their relationship breaking up.

Grabbing his phone, he takes a deep breath and pulls up his messages, replying to the last one he received from the omega, he sends a simple but short message.

-I would like to invite you to dinner tonight at eight pm. My flat, I'm cooking.- JW

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Publishing schedule, I will update one or two stories on Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. For the month of December I will be updating my regular stories only once a week and my prompt stories any time I have a completed chapter for them on the regular days, which means there could be multiples (Like this one is getting 2 updates today), so I am suspending the no more than 8 updates a week until the end of December.

Also, for those interested, I am taking prompts for a Christmas gift to my lovely readers between now and the 10th of December, just leave them in the comments, email me on , message or ask me on Tumblr. Already have 2.

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	7. Waking Up to a Message

*waves* hi all, I know it's been a year since the last update, life has been bloody insane it seems, thank you for anyone still around, I hope everyone has a good new year, and look forward to any comments or reviews left.

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Jim's POV  
He takes a brief nap after Jody leaves for her study date. He knows that Bastian will keep an eye on her through his scope from a pre-selected perch. So he's surprised when his phone sings at him, waking him up because he did not expect to hear that particular ringtone without his sending a message first.

Blindly reaching over to the nightstand, he grabs his phone and looks at the message.

—I would like to invite you to dinner tonight at eight pm. My flat, I'm cooking.— JW

He spends an ungodly amount of time staring at the screen, fairly sure he has to still be sleeping. There is no way that John Watson invited him to dinner and plans to make it. Is there? Why would he? It's the first alpha-like thing the doctor's done. Yet, it doesn't _feel_ alpha-like, it feels more like a beta trying to be nice to a date. That seems to be more of the alpha's style. So far, he can't remember any of his interactions with John being typical alpha behavior.

Sitting up, he stares at the wall wondering if John's family is mostly betas, thus he was raised to act like a beta and had those behaviors inforced to override the alpha traits? It wouldn't be the first time he had heard of something like that. It explains a lot too. Getting out of bed, he heads to his office to grab that folder on John Watson that was compiled for him by Irene several weeks ago. He never bothered looking at it because he hadn't initially cared anything about the boring doctor with his nemesis. Right up until he suddenly did because he recognized the familiar scent, one he gets traces of every day because of their daughter.

Opening it up, he starts reading as he heads to the kitchen to make something to drink. He doesn't want tea or coffee right now, what does that leave him with? He wonders absently, some type of hot chocolate or juice. He'll go with Mexican hot chocolate for now.

Nope, John's not from a beta family. However the alpha's father is a very violent man from what he can tell. It appears that the doctor went the opposite in his behavior to everything that his father did. Well, that could explain a lot, but how does the alpha control his more alpha-like instincts if not taught to do so? Force of will?

His fingers drum on the counter as he drops the file and considers it. Something should definitely happen to the alpha. His daughter's grandfather is a bigger monster than him, and that's saying something considering killing people is part of his business. A cruel smile curves his lips as he comes up for a plan for the elder alpha Watson. A series of text messages later, and he knows the situation will be dealt with in a lovely and untraceable way. He'll get a message when it is done to confirm and that will be that.

Now then, the important topic: dinner tonight. Does he want to do dinner tonight? It's the weekend, he normally tries to spend time with Jody on the weekend.

—Baby Girl, I've been invited to dinner by my date from last night.— He texts his daughter, deciding to let her make the choice.

—Go! Go! Go! Have lots of fun!— She replies in a series quick messages, making him chuckle as his phone keeps restarting her song rather than getting a chance to play all the way through.

—What about your dinner?— he asks when his phone stops singing at him.

—I'll ask Aunt Molly if I can go to her flat or Uncle Ian if he can come over.— She quickly responds, almost like she was expecting that question. She's a lot like him, she definitely could have been.

—What's this about you might have a date?— Molly texts him less than a minute later, making him laugh as Nobody's Girl plays, interrupting Arm's Wide Open.

—John's invited me to dinner.— He answers his long time friend.

—I'll get Jody when she's done with her study date. We'll have a girls night in.— The pathologist tells him in one message before his phone sings with a second message, —You go out and have fun.—

Setting his phone on the counter, he spends several minutes just laughing at the women in his life and the fact they seem to think he needs to go on a date. Wait. Would this be considered a date? Probably. It's two people spending time together. That qualifies as a date. So John actually asked for the second one? He was quite certain he was going to have to ask. Wonder what changed.

Picking his phone back up, he texts the waiting ladies.

—Something healthier than banana splits for dinner,— he tells Molly after remembering his daughter's dinner from the night before .

—Behave for your aunt,— he messages Jody.

—Yay! Have lots of fun!— his daughter replies.

—Have a good night. I plan on showing her how to make BBQ chicken breasts for dinner.— The pathologist responds a moment later.

Apparently he needs to go decide what to wear to dinner tonight. What does one wear to dinner at someone's home? This isn't one of his business contacts, those he has a series of suits for. This isn't one of his 'friends', those he dresses for comfort around. So what to do? He hates not knowing.

—I'll be there.— he text John, confirming that he'll show up.

Shoving his phone in his pocket, he heads upstairs to his room. He needs to find something different to wear then his sleeping clothes. Maybe he should go with the same sort of style he went with for their date out. John seemed to appreciate the way his jeans hugged his legs and showed off his arse. Hmmm. Maybe he should have Molly come over to help him pick something out. Either way, he wants to figure it out sooner than later, so he's not distracted all day.

Who's he kidding? He's totally going to be distracted today, John did something he didn't expect. Somehow the alpha keeps doing that. It's interesting, intriguing, different. Here's to hoping it stays that way. He hates boring.

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 **Authors Note:** On the 28th of November I will be posting a complete 130 chapter fic over on AO3 called Different Paths that is a James Bond triad verse soulmate fic. The triad is James Bond/Alec Trevelyan/Q (Jon). If there is any interest, I'll also post it here for folks to read over the next few months.


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